Forming and filling of spirally wound tubes



Aug. 25, 1 936. c. w. voG 2,051,922

FORMING AND FILLING OF SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES Filed July 18, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 l INVENTOR I Clarence lf Vqg BY ATTORNEYS Aug. 25, 1936. c. w. voGT 2,051,922

FORMING vAND FILLING OF SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES Filed July 18, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet A'rroRNEYS Aug. 25, 1936. Q w VOGT 2,051,922

FORMING AND FILLING OF SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES Filed July 18, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Aug. 25, 1936. c. w. voGT 2,051,922.

FORMING AND FILLING OF SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES piled July 1s, 1954 e sheets-sheet 4 'llllll/lfllll,

lNvENToR'- ATTORNEYS Aug. 25, 1936. c. w. voGT 2,051,922

FORMING AND FILLING OF." SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES Filed July 18. 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 lATTORNEYS C. W, VOGT Aug. 25, 1936.

FORMINGAND FILLING OF SPIRALLY WOUND TUBES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 18, 1954 i i S* INVENTOR (7a/'ence ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 25, 1936' PATENT ori-ICE FORMING AND FILLING 0F SPIBALLY WOUND TUBES Clarence W. Vogt, Greenwich, Conn., assigner to Vogt Processes, Incorporated, Greenwich. Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application July 18, 1934, Serial No. 735,740

17 Claims.

It has heretofore been common practice to form tubes by spirally winding strips of paper stock about a stationary mandrel. One or more driven winding belts wrapped about the stock on the mandrel have served to draw the paper from the supply roll, spirally wind it and cause it to continuously advance axially along the mandrel and off the end to a tube cut oi mechanism. Customarily two strips with their lateral edges offset are wound one about the other so that the lines of abutment of the spirally wound inner strip are concealed by the outer strip, the strips being adhesively joined throughout.

The feeding of the paper is non-positive because of slippage ofthe winding belts on the paper and on their pulleys and slippage of the paper strips upon each other. This is not a serious disadvantage if there is no printing on the paper, which must register with the cut-off mechanism or if the cut-oi mechanism be operated by a trip in the path of movement of the advancing tube to obtain sections of uniform length. The non-positive feeding makes the gearing together of the cut-off mechanism and the feeding mechanism and cutting at predetermined points in respect to printing of the paper, diicult if not impossible if sections of uniform length are desired.

As one feature of the invention there is provided dependable positive mechanism for withdrawing the strip stock from the supply rolls and spirally winding it about the mandrel so that the outer strip may bear a succession of printed forms which will have exact and predetermined registration with the cutter at each cutting operation. due to the absolutely uniform rate of tube formation and advance.

As another feature there are provided means which interlock with indexing apertures in theA outer strip of paper, whereby the strip if indexed in respect to the paper withdrawing mechanism, the winding mechanism and cutoff mechanism and cutting on lines predetermined in respect to the printing is insured.

As another feature there are provided winding rolls having means to penetrate the outer strip and engage the under strip and positively advance the two strips together in spiral fashion about the mandrel. Such means permits -the winding of wide strips in steeply pitched spirals whereas the standard belt drive slips more and more as the pitch of the spiral and width of the paper is increased and becomes virtually inoperative at pitches which the machine of the present invention Vhandles with ease.

another feature, the outer strip is provided with a line of perforations which are but slightly offset from the spiral line of abutment of the 5 inner strip, whereby tearing of the outer tubular wrapper on the perforated lines easily opens up the tube along the line of spiral abutment of the inner strip and permits the ready removal of the tube from material which it may encase. 10

As another feature of the invention the mandrel is provided with a depression of such form that the winding roll may be disposed with its axis parallel to the direction of movement of the paper and with its periphery in the depression 15 so that the paper is depressed by the roll and the roll has its surface engaging the paper for a substantial distance.

As another feature the winding roll has its periphery provided with projecting pins which 2o pierce the paper and move through a groove in depression of the mandrel so that no slippage of the paper in respect to the mandrel or roll is possible.

As another feature the paper feeding mecha- 25 nism and the paper winding mechanism are geared together and form the tube at a positive and definite rate whereby the cutting mechanism may also be geared to them and cut on.' sections of uniform length. Y

As another feature of the invention there is provided means for lling the tube as it is formed, preferably with a plastic material such as partially frozen ice cream or the like, the mandrel being hollow and the plastic material 35 being extruded through the vmandrel and into the tube at a velocity corresponding to the speed at which the formed tube progresses axially beyond the mandrel. 2

Another feature is the provision of means for effectively expanding the plastic mass as it leaves the bore of the mandrel and enters the larger diameter tube.V

In my prior Patents Nos. 2,006,375 and 2,006,376, issued July 2, 1935, I have shown apparatus for continuously forming a paper tube and filling it with plastic material and which may be cut into peripherally wrapped individual service portions of ice cream. By the present invention I may also produce peripherally wrapped individual service portions of ice cream but the apparatus is more particularly intended for use in the formation of larger, stiffer and stronger ice cream lled containers adapted to withstand rougher handling and which may be of pint, Vquart er 55 other such size. As the filled tube comes from the machine and is cut into sections, each section formsa spirally wound tubular container substantially filled with ice cream. The open ends may then be closed by caps to complete the final package.

Itshould be understood that reference to paper as the material from which the tube stock is formed is merely a term of convenience, since the invention obviously contemplates the formation of spirally Wound strips of any suitable material suiciently flexible to be spirally wound. Also in referring to ice cream as the substance which is forced through the mandrel and into the tube, I intend to include any plastic substances, as the invention is not limited by the nature of the material which is used to iill the tube.

Furthermore so far as the broader aspects of the invention are concerned, the iilling of the tube is not essential, as the tube may be made and cut into sections to be later lled or used for any purpose desired.

Other and more general objects of the invention are to provide a method and apparatus for forming, filling and severing spirally wound tubes which are characterized by simplicity, practicability, positiveness, expedition and facility of operation.

The invention may be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a tube forming machine embodying the invention, parts of the machine being shown in section for the sake of clearness,

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the machine,

Fig. 3 is a view mainly in transverse section on the staggered line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the paper engaging and advancing rollers,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the depression or recess in the surface of the mandrel and the grooves for coaction with the roller of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view partly in top planl and partly in section, of the mechanism for applying the adhesive and for withdrawing the paper from the supply roll,

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view on the line lli-I0 of Fig. 9,

Fig. ll is a side elevational view of the glue pot and associated mechanism,

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view on the line I2-I2 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view on the line l3--I3 of Fig. 8, y

Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional plan view showing means for feeding of two different plastic materials through the hollow mandrel and into the tube,

Fig. 15 is a sectional view on the line I5-I5 of Fig. 14,

Fig. 16 is a longitudinal sectional detail of a modified form of material delivery pipe including material expanding means,

Fig. 17 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 16, and

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a severed length of filled tube showing the manner in which the tube may be torn open to release its contents.

The tube forming mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 to 13 inclusive, included a cast base I0 above which a stationary hollow mandrel II is supported and firmly clamped at one end in a sectional support bracket I2. The flexible strip stock, which is supplied to and wound about the mandrel to form the spirally wound tube includes an inner strip of paper I3 and an outer strip of paper I4, the latter having printing I5 in repetitive design or pattern thereon. The strip I3 constitutes the inner shell of the completed tube and may if desired be stiffer than the strip I4 which constitutes the outer wrapper of the tube., The two strips are of nearly equalwidth, the outer one being only slightly wider than the inner -to accommodate for its larger diameter when wound about the inner strip. The strips are laterally offset to a distance which may be equal to half the width of a strip, so that the abutting edges of the strips are out of registration.

Extending longitudinally of the strip I4 is `a. proposed tearing line formed by a row of perforations I6 illustratively shown as of circular shape, and at regular intervals in lieu of one of the circular perforations, there is provided a larger indexing perforation II of different size or shape, illustratively diamond shaped.

These perforations are engaged by pins I8 (Fig. 7) projecting radially from the periphery of a sectional paper feed roll or drum I9. The central pin carrying section of the drum is keyed upon a shaft 20 journaled in suitable bearings 2I in the upper outer end of bracket arms 22 rising from one end of the base casting. The end sections of the drum' are not keyed to the shaft 20 but may rotate freely thereon so that the tension of the paper will always be transmitted to pins I8 and the paper cannot become skewed or torn by undue tension or friction of its edges with the ends of the drum.

The pins or sprocket teeth I8 of the paper feed roll I9 correspond in cross-sectional shape to the perforations I6 and I'I in the strip I4, there being provided a pin of diamond-shaped cross-section at regular intervals and the remaining pins being of circular cross-section and spaced according to the perforations in the paper.

The paper feed drum I9, the center section of which is positively driven in a manner to be later described, draws the strip I4 from a supply roll (not shown) over a guide platform 23 which bridges the bracket frames 22 and around a guide roll 24. The axis of the shaft 20 is disposed at such an angle with respect to the axis of the mandrel that the paper drawn directly from the feed roll will be wrapped about the mandrel in spiral fashion at a pitch depending on the diameter of the mandrel and the width of the strip.

One of the paper strips, for instance the strip I 4, upon leaving the feed drum I9 has adhesive applied to the paper by any suitable adhesive applying mechanism before being led to the mandrel One satisfactory type of adhesive applying mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein a glue pot 25 has a roll 26 partially submerged in the liquid adhesive therein and against which the paper leaving the feed drum I9 is pressed by pressure roller 26a.

The strip I3 is drawn from a supply roll (not shown) by a pair of cooperating rollers 2I and 28. The roller 21 is positively driven in a manner to be later described and the cooperating roller 28 is a pressure roller also positively driven and which in sures the frlctional gripping and advance ofthe strip I3 which is led over the guide platform 29 around. the pressure roller 28 between the rollers 21 and 28 and around the roller 21, whence it passes to the mandrel.

As best seen in Figs. 7 and l2, the adhesive applying roll 26 is provided with a plurality of.

annular ribs 3|! and as the roll rotates, excesive adhesive material is scraped from the ribbed surface thereof by a scraper member 3i micrometrically adjustable toward and away from the surface of roll 25 in a manner to be later described.

By virtue of the ribbed and grooved surface of the adhesive applying roll, stripes of adhesive are applied to the under surface of the paper strip I4, but when this web is pressed against the strip' I3 as an incident of wrapping the strips about the mandrel and advancing them, the adhesive strips may spread somewhat under pressure without being squeezed out at the edge of either strip. The adhesive applying roll is provided with a relatively deep and wide groove 32 in its periphery so that the line of apertures in the web I4 and the portion of the web adjacent the apertures do not receive any adhesive for a purposevto be more fully hereinafter described.

The axis of the feed rolls 21 and 28 are parallel to the axis of the shaft 20, butthe feed rolls 21, 28 are axially offset with respect to the feed roll I8 so that the two strips I3 and I4 will be fed to the mandrel with their edges in staggered relationship, whereby the lines of abutment of each spirally wound strip are out of registry with the corresponding lines of abutment of the other strip. The line of perforations I5, I1 are but slightly out of registration with the edge of the strip I3 and preferably no adhesive is applied to the portion of the outer strip which comes between the line of perforations and the abutment line of the inner strip.

Means are provided for positively engaging the superimposed paper webs as they reach the mandrel and rolling them spirally therearound. This means includes a suitable number of positively driven web-engaging rollers 33, 34, 35. The axes of these rollers are at an angle to that of the mandrel and are substantially at right angles to the direction of travel of the paper spirally around the mandrel at the point between the mandrel and the roller.

Fig. 4 illustrates in detail the construction of one of the paper gripping and advancing rollers, the three rollers being similarly constructed. The roller has a tapered hub portion 36 frictionally tting over a conical sleeve 31 clamped on the reduced end 38 of the roller driving shaft 33 by a nut 40. The roller also has a peripheral wall spaced from the hub by a relatively deep annular groove 4I. A series of paper engaging pins 43 extend radially through the peripheral wall of the roller with the head of the pins lying in the groove 4I and the points of the pins projecting beyond the surface of the roller. A single row of pins 43 may be provided as shown in Figs. l-3, but it is advantageous to have two rows of these pins as shown in the detail View of Fig. 4. A ring 42 ts within the groove 4I and engages the heads of the pins and blocks them against inward radial movement. When the pins become dull the collar 4I may be removed (as by a tool inserted through knockout holes 42a) and the pins.

withdrawn and replaced.

Wherever one of the rollers` 33 or 34 or 35 is in operative relationship to the mandrel, the surface of the mandrel is shaped to conform to the curvature oi' a portion of the peripheral surface of the roller. Preferably thev mandrel surface has a depression 44 (Fig. 5) so that the periphery of the roller may force the paper into this depression. Within the depression 44 are parallel grooves 45 in the path of movement of the pins and providing clearance for the points of the pins. The projecting ends of the pins 43 are long enough to penetrate both of the paper webs and positively spirally wind them about the mandrel.

While the material of the mandrel itself might be recessed and grooved, I prefer to provide the mandrel with a pocket or chamber 46 and the recess 44 and grooves 45 are formed in a separate replaceable wear plate 41 which is placed in' the pocket or chamber and secured in position. in any suitable manner as Yby annular bands 48 lying in grooves 48 in the mandrel and in grooves 50 in the plate 41.

By forming the depression 44 and the groovesv 45 so that the paper winding. Pin carrying rolls actually intert with the mandrel, it will be apparent that several of the pins will be in engagement with the paper at the same time and the danger of the paper tearing and slipping is accordingly minimized and the driving engagement of each pin with the paper is consequently prolonged.

The rollers 33, 34, 35 are spaced apart a distance along the spiral. For instance the spacing may correspond to half a spiral convolution of the paper. Preferably they are progressively of slightly greater diameter (say .001 of an inch) whereby each roller tends to pull the paper slightly faster than-the one before and the paper is wrapped more tightly about the mandrel by each successive roller andis held under tension between each pair of rollers. @ther methods of progressively slightly increasing the surface speed of the successive rollers (as by differential gearing) would serve the same purpose. The surface speed of roller 33 is very slightly greater than that of drum I3 to maintain tension on the paper strip I4 which is advancing toward the mandrel and cause slight stretch of the paper. In this connection the pins I8 engaging the perforations I5 and I1 really act as brakes, the free floating end sections of the drum offering no substantial frictional resistance.

The purpose of the conical sleeves 31 is to permit retraction of the rollers 33, 34, 35 from the grooves 44 in the mandrel when the pins are to be replaced. With nut 4II removed and sleeve 31 drawn out, the roller is suillciently loose on its shaft 39 to be moved radially to a position where the pins 43 clear the groove 44 and the roher can be slid axially off its shaft.

A suitable power transmitting apparatus -for driving the various paper feeding and tube forming rollers includes a drive shaft 5I journaled under the base I8. Power is applied to shaft 5I in any suitable manner. as through the sprocket wheel 52 secured to the projecting end of the shaft. Housed within a turret 55 rising from the base casting and supported upon a thrust bearing 53 is a vertical shaft 54 which extends through the base casting and at its lower end carries a gear 55, the latter being driven from a worm 51 carried by a shaft 5I. A housing 58 for the worm and wormgear may be bolted to the underface of the base I0. Y

'I'he three rollers 33, 34 and 35 are all driven at the same rate of speed from the shaft 54, driving connections `being as follows: A downwardly facing bevel gear 59 is keyed to the shaft 54 and rests upon a shoulder 60 of the shaft. The gear 59 is in mesh with a bevel gear 6| secured to the inner end of a shaft 62 corresponding to shaft 39. This shaft is journaled in a sleeve 63 projecting laterally from the turret 56 and the pin carrying roller 34 is fixed upon the end of the shaft under the mandrel II.

A collar 64 keyed to the shaft 54 rests upon the gear 59 and an upwardly facing bevel gear 65 also keyed to the shaft 54 rests upon the collar and meshes with three bevel gears 66, 61 and 68 (Fig. 1) fixed respectively to the inner ends of shafts 69, 39 and 1| which extend radially outwardly through bearing sleeves 12, 13 and 14 integral with the turret 56. The roller 33 as above described is f-lxed to the outer end of the shaft 39 above the mandrel.v The shaft 1| extends into a second turret member 15 rising from the base l0 and carries a bevel gear 16 meshing with a smaller gear 11 on the inner end of a shaft 18 mounted in a bearing sleeve 19 forming part of the turret member 15. Shaft 18`at its outer end carries roller 35 which is disposed in parallelism with the roller 33 and spaced from the roller 33 a distance corresponding to one spiral turn of the paper web about the mandrel.

Power transmitted to the shaft 69 is used for driving the paper feed drum I9, the adhesive applying roll 26 and the paper feeding roll 21, the illustrated drive being merely typical of one of many arrangements which might be utilized to accomplish this result.

The shaft 69 extends through the upper end of a gear casing and the end of the shaft beyond the gear casing carries a beveled pinion 8| meshing with a beveled gear 82 fixed upon the end of the drum shaft 20. That portion of the shaft 69 which is encased within the housing 80 carries a spiral gear 83 driving a gear 84 on a shaft which isv journaled in the lower portion of the casing 80 at right angles to the axis of shaft 69. Gear 85 meshes with a pair of gears 86 and 81 disposed at opposite sides thereof and which serve respectively to drive the adhesive applying roll 26 and the paper feed roll 21.

The gear 81 is fixed directly on the shaft 88 which carries feed roll 21 and the gear 86 is xed upon a .shaft 89 journaled in the walls of the gear case 80. The end of this shaft is provided with a pair of clutch teeth 90 adapted to engage with corresponding clutch teeth 9| projecting from the end of the shaft 92, which carries the adhesive applying roll 26.

Means are provided to permit the guide roll 26a to be swung out of the way when the paper is being trained over the glue roll 26. With this in view the shaft or pintle upon which the roll 26a rotates is hingedly connected as at 96 to a support member 91 rising from an edge of the glue pot. The free end of the pintle 95 rests in a bearing groove 98 in a support member 99 rising from the opposite edge of the glue pot and a spring pressed latch |00 has a lpintle engaging end |0| normally spring projected over the free end of the pintle 95 to lock the pintle against upward movement. By withdrawing the latch member |00 the pintle may be swung on its hinge 96 to permit the paper to be trained over the glue roll 26.

Any suitable adjusting mechanism for the scraper 3| may be employed, a typical mechanism being shown in Figs. 7 and 1l. This includes a rocker arm |02 disposed outside of the glue pot and fixed to the end of the shaft |03 which carries the scraper blade. The coiled extension spring |04-acts on the rocker arm |02 and normally tends to move the scraper blade 3| inwardly against the roll 26. An adjusting screw |05 having camming engagement with a button |08 carried on the roll 21 to insure uniform peripheral speeds of the smaller sized rolls 21 and 28. AAny suitable mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the roll 28 may be employed, a typical arrangement being illustrated in Fig. 8. Here it will be noted that the roll 28 is journalled in swinging bracket arms |09 and that a vertical shaft ||0 having a screw-threaded adjustment at in the base casting I0 projects into and through a pocket ||2 in a bridging member ||3 which connects the free ends of the arms |09. A coiled expansion spring ||6 encircling the reduced end ||4 of the shaft I l0 engages the bottom of the pocket ||2 and tends to rock the arms |09 in a direction to move the roll 28 against the surface of the roll 21. A knurled flange |I5 on the shaft ||0 permits convenient manual adjustment of this shaft to regulate the tension of the spring H6. y

The glue box or pot 25 is bodily removable from its support for purposes of cleaning. As best seen in Figs. 8, 9 and 13, the support means for the glue pot includes a plate |25 having a pair of upstanding flanges |26 upon which the ends of the glue pot rest. Projecting lugs |21 at the ends of these flanges are adapted to interlock with short inwardly turned rails |28 carried by flanges |29 projecting downwardly from the sides of the glue pot. The glue pot may further be secured by one or more screws |30 (Fig. 12) extending upwardly through one of they flanges |26 and having ends entering sockets |3I in the bottom of the pot. To remove the glue pot screws |30 are retracted and the pot is slid endwise until the rails |28 clear the flanges or lugs |21, whereupon the pot may be lifted directly upwardly. The advantage of having the loose four-tooth clutch connection at 90, 9| is that the clutch carrying end of the glue roller shaft may be slid axially into engagement with the clutch face at the end of the shaft 89 without having to accurately align clutch elements on these shafts.

A plastic mass may be supplied through the hollow mandrel for filling the spirally wound tube as it leaves the mandrel. One, two or more flavors of ice cream may be forced through the mandrel to -produce a plastic mass having a core section or segment of one flavor of-ice cream, one or more adjacent or encircling portions of different flavor.

As shown in Figs. 14 and l5 the hollow mandrel I is lined by a rigid tube or pipe I I1 of stainless or non-corrodible material which projects beyond both ends of the mandrel and is screwed at one end into one end of an elbow fitting ||8 which may be connected to the outlet of a continuous pressure freezer, such as shown in my Patents 1,783,864, 1,783,865, 1,783,866 and 1,783,867, issued December 2, 1930. Suitably coupled as at ||9 to the opposite end of the elbow fitting is the fixed section |20 of a sectional ice cream supply pipe. The movable section |2| of this pipe telescopes over the end of the rst section and a counterweight |23 normally tends to draw the section |2| into fully telescopd position. The opposite end of pipe may be flared outwardly to a sharp edge at ||'|a so that the plastic material extended through this tube is guided outwardly into contact with the inner surface of the spiral tube.

Concentric with the pipe is a smaller rigid tube |22 which extends through the elbow iltting ||8 and is rigidly supported by said fitting. The external diameter of the tube |22 is less than the internal diameter of the pipe |I1.

Ice cream of one avor continuously supplied under pressure through the pipe |20, |2I, flows around the tube |22 and through the tube |I'l, and ice cream of another iiavor is forced under pressure through the inner tube |22. Tube ||1 terminates just beyond the end of the mandrel so that the core of cream emanating from the tube |22 and the ring of ice cream extruded from between the pipes and |22 enter the spirally wound casing just after it leaves the mandrel.

It will of course be understood that the ice cream should be fed at a rate corresponding to the rate of formation and advance of the spirally wound tube. The telescopic action between the pipe sections |20 and |2| is merely illustrative of one means for accommodating for too rapid or too slow feed of the cream. These two pipes will tend to telescope in the event that insufficient pressure is being applied to the cream advancing through them and will be relatively extended if too rapid advance of the cream builds up unduly high back pressure. This movement may be utilized for controlling the relative speeds of the tube forming and cream forcing mechanism.

It will be understood that the ice cream which is passing through the inner tube |22 may also have its rate of feed properly regulated but the entire regulation may be by one cream stream only. Both streams of ice cream are preferably advanced from continuous freezers of the general type illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,783,864, dated December 2, 1930.

Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate a slightly modified arrangement for causing the extruded stream of ice cream to expand into the spirally wound tube. To simplify illustration it is shown for supplying only one avor of ice cream fed through a tube |40 of slightly smaller external diameter than the internal diameter of the mandrel l I. The tube terminates just beyond the end of the mandrel and attached to thetube end, as by a bayonet joint |4|, is the cylindrical end |42 of a frustoconical expanding tube |43, the mouth of which terminates closely adiacent the inner surface of the spirally wound paper tube. Arranged within the expanding tube |43 are a plurality of spiral vanes |44 so that as the plastic mass leaves the tube |40, a spiral motion is imparted thereto by the vanes |42 and in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the paper tube. This -serves a three-fold function. It expands the oi! the mandrel will always be relatively warm and will have a tendency to further soften the plastic, partially frozen mass of cream as the cream contacts it, with resultant lubrication of the paper by the softened cream and minimiza- 5 tion of such skin friction as would otherwise tend to aid in building up back pressure on the extruded plastic material and insure complete lling of the tube. By correctly designing the spiral r vanes the cream leaving the expanding tube |43 10 may already be rotating as fast or faster than the paper tube. It may actually assist in winding the paper tube but in any event the slippage between the cream and the tube is minimized and the tube is completely filled with cream.

The ice cream as delivered lls the continuously formed tube and the iilled tube then passes to a suitable travelling cutting mechanism where the advancing end of the tube is intermittently severed into suitable package forming lengths by 20 cutting on the lines between printed forms and thereafter the open-ended cylindrical containers are capped to complete the package.

It will be understood that the cutting mechanism is synchronized with or geared to the tube 25 filling and forming apparatus so that absolutely uniform lengths of cream-lled tubing may be produced.

'I'he purpose of omitting a stripe of adhesive from the under-surface of the web I4 adjacent 30 the line of perforations will be apparent from Fig.

18 which shows a final package partly opened. 'I'he indexing perforations I1 come at the ends and aiord a tearing guide for initiating tearing of the outer cover of the tube along the line of perforations I6. Since the outer strip is not adhesively secured to the inner strip along that area which lies between its perforated line and the spirally abutting edges of the inner strip, it will be apparent that as the outer cover is torn on the line of perforations, the abutting edges of the inner spirally wound shell will be freed and liberate the contents of the tube, or may be peeled off from such contents. Preferably the end caps are removed before the tearing is begun.

While the operation of the apparatus will be for the most part understood from the foregoing description, it will be brieily reviewed as follows:

The paper web |4 is trained over the feed drum I9, the circular perforations of the paper registered with the circular pins and the diamondshaped indexing perforations registering with the diamond-shaped pins of the feed drum. The roll 26a is swung upwardly and then relatched to clamp the paper between the glue-applying roll 26 and the roll 26a.

The lower strip or web I3 is trained around and between the rolls 21 and 28. The latter roll may of course be conveniently, Ymanually depressed against the action of its spring I6 to per- 60 mit the paper to be passed between the rolls. The two superimposed but laterally offset webs I3 and I4 are then led to the mandrel and under the flrst roll 33 of the tube forming and advancing rolls 33, 34, 35. After the paper has been completely wrapped once about the mandrel it will lie under all three of the rolls 33, 34 and 35 and the operation of the machine is started.

Due to the fact that the rolls 33 take into recess 44 which conform to the radii of curvature the 70.

rolls 33, 34 and 35, a considerable length of peripheral surface of said rolls will always be operating on the paper webs which are being engaged and advanced. The pins 43 pass through the outer paper web I4 and penetrate the inner 75 web I3 so that the advance of the paper webs and the formation of the tubes is positively effected. The feed drum I9, the feed rolls 21, 28, the glue applying rolls 26 and the pin carrying winding rolls 33, 34 and 35i are all caused to travel at substantially the same peripheral speed due to the interlocked driving connections although minute increases in the peripheral speeds of drum I9 and rolls 33, 34, 35 are desirable as described above. There can be no lag in the rate at which the paper is fed. Furthermore, due to the positive action of rolls 33, 34 and 35 there will be no slippage between these rolls and the paper webs or between the paper webs themselves. Of course slight slippage of the lower web I3 would not be particularly serious and for this reason this web need not be perforated and advanced by sprocket teeth on a supply roll. The most important thing is to advance and fill the outer wrapper I5 with absolute precision so that the cutting mechanism will always sever the completely wound tube in accordance with the spacing of the series of printed forms on the outer wrapper of the finished cylindrical ice cream package.

Where the formed package is adapted to be subsequently opened by tearing one of the spiral lines of abutment of the material which forms the tube, it will be apparent that the steeper the pitch of the spiral the greater the ease of separation of the nal package along the lines of the spiral.

The standard winding belts which have been previously employed for winding these tubes are not only subject to slippage, but as suggested above have very definite limitations as to the width of tube forming material which can be handled for any given diameter and in fact are incapable of winding steeply pitched spirals. The positive action, however, of pin-bearing winding rollers in the present case makes it possible to take a very wide strip of flexible material and spirally wind it at a very steep pitch.

In cases where the tubes are not to be filled at the time they are formed, the mandrel could either have much thicker walls or it could be solid. Instead of presenting a stationary surface to complement the winding'rolls, a mating rotary surface such as a ball bearing roller could be employed as part of the mandrel. With such an arrangement the paper webs could be very effectively gripped and pinched even without the use of penetrating pins.

A completed package which may be formed by severing lengths of filled tubing and capping such lengths is disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 735,911 filed July 19, 1934.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz- 1. Apparatus for forming spirally wound tubes including a stationary mandrel about which a length of flexible material is to be wound, a roll arranged closely adjacent to the surface of the mandrel at an angle to engage and spirally wind the material about the mandrel, the surface of the mandrel having a shallow recess therein following the curvature of the periphery of the roll whereby a substantial length of the material is always in operative engagement with the roll.

2. Apparatus for forming spirally wound tubes including a stationary mandrel about which a length of exible material is to be wound, a roll arranged closely adjacent to the surface of the mandrel at an angle to engage and spirally Wind the material about the mandrel and provided with penetrating devices projecting from the surface of the rolls for engaging and advancing the material, the surface of the mandrel having a shallow recess therein following the curvature of the periphery of the roll whereby a substantial area of the periphery of said roll is always in operative engagement with the material, said recess also having grooves therein to accommodate said penetrating devices.

3. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of vsaid webs and a plurality of rollers arranged closely adjacent the surface of the .nandrel and spaced apart axially of the mandrel, and corresponding to partial spiral convolutions of the proposed tube to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel.

4. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs, the outermost only of said webs having indexing perforations therein at regular intervals and said web advancing means having devices to engage said perforations, and a plurality of rollers arranged closely adjacent the surface of the mandrel and spaced apart axially of the mandrel, and corresponding to partial spiral convolutions of the proposed tube to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel.

5. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs, the outermost only of said webs having indexing perforations therein at regular intervals and said web advancing means having devices to engage said perforations, a plurality of rollers arranged closely adjacent the surface of the mandrel and spaced apart axially of the mandrel, and corresponding to partial spiral convolutions of the proposed tube to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, and means for positively driving said advancing means and said winding means in timed relationship, whereby said indexing perforations insure severance of the formed tube at predetermined intervals by a tube cut-olf operated in synchronism with the winding rolls.

6. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs as it advances toward the mandrel, means to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, the outermost of said webs having a row of perforations therein arranged closely adjacent to the edge of the inner web and said adhesive applying means including a roller having a groove therein to prevent applying adhesive which would seal together the two webs between said perforated line and the edge of the under web. l

7. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs as it advances toward the mandrel, means to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, the outermost of said webs having a row of perforations therein arranged closely adjacent to the edge of the inner web and said adhesive applying means including a roller having a groove therein to prevent applying adhesive which would seal together the two webs between said perforated line and the edge of the under web, certain of said perforations serving as indexing means and the web advancing means including devices to engage in said indexing perforations.

8. Apparatus for winding spiral tubes including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally offset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs as it advances toward the mandrel, means to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, the outermost of said webs having a row of perforations therein arranged closely adjacent to the edge of the inner web and said adhesive applying means including a roller having a groove therein to prevent applying adhesive which would seal together the two webs between said perforated line and the edge of the under web, said outer web having a succession of printed forms thereon adapted to serve as the outer wrappers of cylindrical containers cut from the tube stock.

9. Apparatus for winding spiral tubesl including a stationary mandrel, means for engaging a pair of paper webs and advancing them toward the mandrel with the edges of the webs laterally oiset with respect to each other, means for applying an adhesive to the surface of one of said webs as it advances toward the mandrel, means to engage the webs and wind them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, the outermost of said webs having a row of perforations therein arranged closely adjacent to the edge of the inner web and said adhesive applying means including a roller having a groove therein to prevent applying adhesive which would seal together the two webs between said perforated line and the edge of the under web, said outer web having a succession of printed forms thereon adapted to serve as the outer wrappers of cylindrical containers cut from the tube stock, said indexing perforations being larger than the other perforations and arranged at the line of juncture of adjacent printed forms, whereby to aiord readily accessible tearing guides for opening the containers.

10. A machine for forming spirally wound tubes including a mandrel, means for positively delivering a pair of paper webs to the mandrel with their edges in laterally offset relationship, means for applying adhesive to the face of one web, means for positively spirally winding the webs about the mandrel and advancing the rotating spirally wound tube axially therebeyond, the outermost of said webs having a series of printed forms displayed on its face and having indexing apertures therein, means arranged in advance of the mandrel for coacting with said indexing apertures and thereby predetermining the lines of severance of the tube by a cutter arranged beyond the mandrel. I

11. A machine for forming spirally wound tubes including a mandrel, means for positively delivering a pair of paper webs to the mandrel with their edges in laterallytoifset relationship, means for applying adhesive to the face of one web, means for positively spirally winding the webs about the mandrel and advancing the rotating spirally wound tube axially therebeyond, the outermost of said webs having a series `of printed forms displayed on its face and having indexing apertures therein, means arranged in advance of the mandrel for coacting with said indexing apertures and thereby predetermining the lines of severance of the tube by a cutter arranged beyond the mandrel, said indexing apertures forming part of a line of longitudinally extending apertures in the oter web arranged closely adjacent one edge of the inner web and means to prevent the application of adhesive material to the overlying portions of the webs between the line of perforation in the lpper strip and the line of abutment of the under s rip.

12. A spiral tube winding machine including a mandrel and a roller arranged adjacent the surface of the mandrel, said mandrel having an arcuate groove therein following the curvature of the periphery of the roller and within which a portion of the roller lies and paper penetrating devices projecting from the periphery of the roller, said mandrel being also cut away toprovide clearance for the movement of said penetrating devices.

13. Apparatus for forming and filling a spirally wound tube including a stationary hollow mandrel, means for winding a spiral tube about the mandrel and axially advancing the rotating tube therebeyond and means for extending a plastic tube filling material under pressure through the hollow mandrel at substantially the same rate of speed as the speedv of axial advance of the formed tube and means for imparting a spiral movement to the extruded plastic mass as it enters and lls the rotating axially moving tube.

14. Apparatus for forming and filling a spirally -wound tube including a stationary hollow mandrel, means for winding a spiral tube about the mandrel and axially advancing the rotating tube therebeyond and means for extending a plastic tube lling material under pressure through the hollow mandrel at substantially the same rate of speed as the speed of axial advance of the formed tube, and means for guiding the plastic mass into contact with the inner surface of the tube whereby to compensate for the difference in the internal diameter of the tube and the internal diameter of the mandrel through which the mass is extruded.

15. An apparatus for winding spiral tubes, including a stationary mandrel, means closely adjacent to said mandrel for engaging a pair of paper webs and winding them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, one of said webs having a series of perforations, and a feed roller having projections engaging said perforations.

16. An apparatus for winding spiral tubes, including a stationary mandrel, means closely adjacent to said mandrel for engaging a pair of paper webs and winding them in spiral fashion about the mandrel, one of said webs having a series of perforations approximately midway between its edges, and web feeding means therefor including av driven roller havingprojections engaging said perforations, and idler rollers coaxial with said rst mentioned roller and engaging the web adjacent to its edges.

1'7. An apparatus for winding spiral tubes, including a stationary mandrel, means for delivering a pair of paper webs to the mandrel with their edges in lateral oiset relationship, an adhesive applying roller having a plurality of annular flanges for applying a plurality of narrow spaced stripes of adhesive to the surface of one of 'said webs, and means adjacent to said mandrel for pressing said webs together and applying them spirally of the mandrel.

CLARENCE W. VOGT. 

